AS THE COST OF LIVING continues to be driven up at all angles, there is an increased focus on efficiency, sustainability and protecting our resources for longer-lasting use.
That is also our focus for our annual “Green Issue,” our yearly special section to help our readers learn about the variety of ways they can help themselves and the surrounding South Orange County community while taking care of this beautiful place we call home.
In this year’s issue, we put a spotlight on energy efficiency. California continues its push into electrical energy with an eye on switching over the high-traffic state into one populated by mostly electric vehicles. Is the state ready for that switch? And what steps are being taken ahead of
2035 to prepare the state’s infrastructure?
With the push toward electric vehicles, there will be an effort to beef up home charging capabilities. One way that will be done is with solar panels, especially with new laws coming into effect in California. We chat with local solar panel companies about these changes and what buyers can expect.
As that emphasis on home electricity continues, it will be paramount to be more efficient with our energy at home. We look into ways to cut down on your energy costs with simple home improvements that may even send a couple bucks back your way.
Outside the home, it’s been a wet winter, and while the hills are certainly greener, have Califor-
THE LAGUNA BEACH-BASED NONPROFIT Wyland Foundation launched a friendly competition among cities across the United States to see which town can be the most “water-wise” throughout the month of April.
On April 1, the Wyland Foundation challenged residents and city officials to take the “action pledge,” committing to conserving water, energy and other natural resources through its annual National Mayor’s Challenge.
When taking the conservation pledge, participants enter their city of residence and may see an encouraging message from their city’s mayor.
San Clemente residents making the pledge are greeted with Mayor Chris Duncan’s message urging residents to conserve: “We must act now to save our water resources for future generations.”
In Dana Point, Mayor Mike Frost emphasizes that the city “places a high importance on water quality, pollution reduction and sustaining our natural environment. I encourage our residents to use water efficiently and sustainably year-round.”
The City of San Juan Capistrano is not officially participating in the Mayor Challenge this year, though Wyland Foundation President Steve Creech encourages residents to participate even if their city’s mayor isn’t.
“Having a mayor who’s really gung-ho about it is not a precondition for the city to win; any city can win. It just depends on the resident participation, but we do find that if a mayor is behind it, the city’s behind it, that they do better,” Creech says.
nia and South Orange County had enough water to fully wipe out the drought? We look at what the wet winter means.
In the light of that drought and the wet winter, local towns are being challenged with water conservation. The Wyland Foundation put out the call to local officials to take a conservation pledge.
Additionally, we talk with the Surfrider Foundation about its Ocean-Friendly Restaurants program to see what restaurants in town are working toward sustainability.
We hope this year’s “Green Issue” will inspire our readers to be conservation-minded for the prosperity and longevity of their own home, as well as the community.
—Chris DuncanCreech encourages cities to spark friendly rivalries with neighboring towns to see which can be the most water-wise.
“It’s just a rallying point,” Creech says. “We kind of set the table, but it’s really up to the cities to bring their A-game. But we’ve had mayors from all across the country get involved.”
By taking the pledge, residents agree to make more eco-friendly choices by checking off recommended changes, such as repairing leaks and shortening shower times, reducing plastic use and wasting less food.
At the end of the month, the Wyland Foundation will pick five winners from
different population categories with the highest percentage of residents who took the challenge.
Residents in winning cities who pledged are entered to win thousands of dollars in eco-friendly prizes. The grand prize includes $3,000 toward their home utility bills, gift cards to home improvement stores and home irrigation products.
"WE MUST ACT NOW TO SAVE OUR WATER RESOURCES FOR FUTURE GENERATIONS."
REDUCING
USE
PLASTICS is one way to contribute to easing our burden on the Earth, and the nationally recognized Surfrider Foundation has found a way to highlight restaurants across the country for their collaboration.
Since 2013, the organization’s Ocean-Friendly Restaurants program has partnered with 350 businesses nationwide to serve as an eco-friendly community.
What started with the Huntington Beach chapter of Surfrider has since swelled to participation in 23 states.
Program manager CJ O’Brien says that most restaurants are connected through the work of chapter representatives.
“We have chapters and clubs all across the country, and so they’re really the ones spearheading the outreach to the restaurants in their community,” O’Brien says. “But we do have restaurants that reach out, because (the program) is nationally recognized, and so it has gained a lot of traction and publicity.”
The onset of the COVID-19 pandemic caused a dip in participation, but some businesses remained resilient, and Surfrider has seen a significant rise in recent months.
There’s excitement from restaurants, activists, and volunteers, according to O’Brien. California, Hawaii, Oregon and Washington boast many of the partnering businesses, with notable membership on the East Coast as well.
Ocean-friendly restaurants in South Orange County include Dana Point’s Young’s Beach Shack, The Real Empanada and West Toast Café in San Clemente, and Trevor’s at the Tracks in San Juan Capistrano.
Marcelo Nonaca, co-owner of The Real Empanada, says the ownership group wanted to be a part of the program even before they opened in March 2022. He pointed to their relationship with the local surf community as one reason why, given that local surf artist Josh Paskowitz completed a surf mural for them.
“I wanted to have that connection, especially because we package our own unique boxes, which are recyclable and beach-friendly,” Nonaca says. “We don’t really use plastics at our shop, so I thought it was a really good fit. Plus, I wanted to really cater to the (surf) lifestyle as well.”
The Real Empanada became connected to Surfrider through the patronage of multiple South Orange County chapter board members, and the partnership grew from there.
Being a part of the program consists of a one-year membership that is free to join. The local activists come in to conduct compliance checks throughout the year by coming in to eat, talk with the owners and eventually build a strong relationship between Surfrider and each restaurant.
“Because it’s a yearly membership, the restaurants renew, which provides a really great opportunity for us to make sure the restaurants are following the criteria and (to check in) with them and get all the updated information,” says O’Brien.
Restaurants must meet seven criteria to be recognized as ocean-friendly.
They must only use reusable dinnerware and drinkware, silverware, and containers for on-site dining; they must only provide paper straws upon request; and they must follow proper recycling practices. The program also restricts the use of expanded polystyrene (Styrofoam), plastic bags for takeout orders, single-use utensils, straws and other accessory items unless upon request, as well as restricting sale of drinks in plastic bottles.
Surfrider also lists optional criteria that businesses can meet, which serve as a more holistic approach by recommending the provision of “Best Choice” seafood and vegetarian options, actions toward water conservation and energy efficiency, and more.
O’Brien says the chapter activists give participating restaurants more leeway in letting them determine what is doable for their business.
“But, if a restaurant reaches all of the criteria—meaning all the mandatory and optional criteria—then they can become a platinum restaurant,” she says. “So, our chapters really try to get our restaurants to be platinum, and really provide support on how they can make those more sustainable choices.”
The organization also provides resources to educate the owners, such as a foodware guide.
At first, the decision to become ocean-friendly can be “daunting,” O’Brien says, but restaurant personnel show more enthusiasm as they begin to learn that the other collaborating businesses are saving money.
The chapter representatives are helpful with guiding owners to take their approach one step at a time, by simply eliminating the use of Styrofoam, for example.
“(That) will really help to act like a domino effect on how restaurants can reach more of the criteria and do more to reduce single-use plastics,” says O’Brien.
She adds that part of the businesses’ feedback from being involved is that their customers enjoy knowing that they will always have a plastic-free experience when they stop by.
Given that Surfrider hosts beach cleanups that result in picking up a lot of food-related plastic items, being a part of the OFR program is a stamp that member restaurants can proudly boast.
“Our ocean-friendly restaurants can reduce their plastic footprint, (and) they can show society and policymakers that a plastic-free future is possible,” O’Brien says.
Nonaca of The Real Empanada recommends that other restaurants participate.
“Whatever we can do to minimize our footprint on this Earth is obviously encouraged, especially (with me) being a 20-year San Clemente local,” says Nonaca.
Surfrider estimates that its partner businesses serve more than 60,000 meals without plastic each day, a number that will continue to grow as the program expands.
ered on its promise (by) providing more than 1,600 MW of backup electricity during the September 6th grid emergency helping the state narrowly avoid rotating outages.”
Legislation has also been implemented to allow “certainty and timely permits for non-fossil fuel, clean energy projects within 270 days,” the CEC says.
“Over the next decade, electric vehicles are expected to add only a small amount of electricity demand to California’s grid,” CEC spokesperson Toan Lam says. “In 2030, 5.4 million light-duty electric vehicles and 193,000 mediumand heavy-duty electric vehicles will only account for less than 5% of total system electric load during peak hours.”
“Today’s smaller electric vehicle population only accounts for less than 1% during the same peak period in 2022,” Lam says. “In 2035, 12.5 million light-duty electric vehicles and about 400,000 medium- and heavy-duty electric vehicles will account for about 10% of total system electric load during traditional peak hours.”
However, Brouwer says California is not sufficiently investing in or building electric transmission and distribution infrastructure.
Some parts of the electric vehicle market have gotten to the point where there is no longer a need for financial incentives, he says.
There are efforts to make sure building codes and real estate trends ensure electric vehicle users can charge their cars, Swanton says.
“Having a place to charge your car is critical,” he says.
Making sure businesses have places where people can charge their cars in multi-dwelling units is important, for instance.
“There’s a lot of moving parts to it,” Swanton says.
The year 2035 can be either a short amount of time to hit the state’s goal or a long time to work toward ensuring the mandate happens, depending on one’s perspective, he says. Infrastructure is in place for the transition to successfully occur, Swanton says.
“It’s very rapid how much infrastructure is being put in place,” he says.
Under the 2022-2023 Investment Plan Update, CEC staff estimates 90,000 new EV chargers will be available across the state, Lam says.
That number is more than double the 80,000 chargers in operation today.
By Collin BreauxIF YOU ASK JACK BROUWER, he supports California’s goal for all new cars and light trucks sold in 2035 to be zero-emission vehicles.
However, he does say the plan is “quite aggressive” and difficult to implement by then, because of several factors—including people rebelling against the state mandate, and electric and hybrid vehicles not being within a price range consumers can afford.
There are also more systemic reasons.
“I am concerned that we are not making sufficient investments in our utility grid network and related infrastructure to meet the demands of a large increase in electric vehicle use,” says Brouwer, an assistant professor at the University of California, Irvine, whose research focus is on energy systems—including alternative power.
“I agree that the power outages that we have recently experienced and the more frequent wildfires, some caused by the electric utility grid network and most resulting in grid outages, together with the increased use of public safety power shutoff events caused by grid stress, all point to the fact that investments and policies thus far are insufficient,” Brouwer says.
California energy officials are encouraging more use of zero-emission vehicles to reduce carbon emissions. The 2035
mandate comes from the California Air Resources Board (CARB), which issued the rule because of a wish for “cleaner air and massive reductions in climate-warming pollution,” according to a news release.
When asked if the decree is too ambitious, John Swanton—an air pollution specialist with CARB’s vehicles and incentives team—says there may be some people who think it’s not ambitious enough.
“As long as we keep on the pace of installing infrastructure, we’re good,” Swanton says. “It’s going to require careful management for the next 10 years.”
Ambitious goals are being set, because conditions will continue to remain status quo if there isn’t a push to move the market forward, Swanton says.
“California is looking at addressing a need with the climate crisis and what’s good for our economy,” he says. “It’s also looking at benefits to the consumer. (Electric vehicles) are more economical to operate.”
As for examples of what’s being done to facilitate the transition, Swanton points to a fact sheet released by the California Energy Commission (CEC), one of the agencies CARB coordinates with for the state’s energy landscape readiness.
The CEC says a multibillion-dollar Strategic Electricity Reliability Reserve was created in 2022 to “act as an insurance for all utilities and balancing areas in the state” and “deliv-
“We are also not sufficiently investing to enable the gas system to support renewable power generation and transmission and distribution,” Brouwer says. “We must decarbonize both our electric and gas infrastructure if we are to achieve a resilient renewable energy future that can indeed support 100% electric vehicles.”
Despite those remarks, Brouwer says the state’s plans are “laudable and consistent,” and he praised CARB as an agency.
“CARB is one of the most objective science-based policymakers in the state,” Brouwer says.
Brouwer says he cares about addressing climate change and improving air quality— the latter of which can affect people’s health.
Fossil fuels won’t be around forever, he says.
“It’s not sustainable, from my perspective,” Brouwer says. “It’s a good idea to transition from fossil fuels to electric vehicles.”
Brouwer supports the ambition to increase the use of zero-emission vehicles.
“Even if we get to only 80%, that’s good for the environment,” he says.
Swanton says the push to decrease vehicle carbon emissions has been in the works since the 1990s, maybe even before then.
“It’s an evolution, over the years, of getting more stringent,” Swanton says.
The 2035 goal and steps toward getting there are not “too revolutionary” except for the increased percentages, he says.
Incentives for more zero-emission vehicle use have been in California since the early 2000s, though those are “slowly getting smaller and smaller,” Swanton says.
“Combined with funding from utilities and other programs, these investments are expected to ensure the state achieves its goal to deploy 250,000 chargers by 2025,” Lam says.
Additionally, the state is working to advance vehicle-to-grid integration technology that will be able to send power back to the grid during peak demand periods, Lam says. That is expected to offset the need for new power plants and provide backup power to homes and buildings during outages.
“By 2030, the state’s EV fleet could be sending more power back to the grid than needed for charging,” Lam says.
Rep. Mike Levin—who represents California’s 49th Congressional District of South Orange County and portions of San Diego County—says “America can lead the way in automotive innovation” by embracing zero-emission vehicles, which will, in turn, create “good-paying jobs while reducing air pollution and greenhouse gas emissions.”
“I am proud of Congress’ accomplishments over the last two years to facilitate the transition to clean vehicles, including by providing new and used electric vehicle incentives in the Inflation Reduction Act, making historic investments in electric vehicle charging infrastructure through the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, and supercharging our domestic chip manufacturing capabilities through the CHIPS and Science Act,” says Levin, who has experience as an environmental attorney.
There will always be people who look back on fading technologies like gas-powered vehicles with nostalgia, Swanton says.
“Ultimately, in the long term, this is the way transportation is going,” Swanton says.
AS
and the temperatures rise heading into the summer, people are looking for ways to keep cool at home while not breaking the bank to do so. There are plenty of tips on how to keep your home more energy-efficient, and even a few ways to make a few bucks by doing so.
First, how can you make your home more efficient? ENERGY STAR, a ubiquitous label on home appliances and a partner with the Environmental Protection Agency, has created a list of six high-impact, energy-efficient home improvements to make for a cost-effective, cleaner home energy footprint.
As we come out of a wet and cold winter and move toward our sun-soaked summers, residents of South Orange County are dealing with the after-effects of keeping warm and looking forward to staying cool.
So, the first place to look is clean heating and cooling. Look to replace oil and
gas heaters with an electric heat pump, which can also cool air, despite its name.
Behind your air systems, the water heater uses the second-highest amount of energy in the home. Again, the ENERGY STAR suggestion is to go electric. A move to efficient heat pump technology could save more than $300 per year.
In a world that’s embracing technology, one of the most helpful gadgets is a smart thermostat. Easily purchased and easily installed, smart thermostats can learn your habits to efficiently deploy your heating and cooling for when you’re home and when you’re not.
There are a lot of suggestions about heating and cooling your home, but with all that work being done to do so, you shouldn’t make those systems work harder to keep up that balance.
ENERGY STAR’s next two suggestions are a well-insulated and sealed attic and high-performing windows. Save up to 10% on annual energy bills by not letting that air escape through the attic, and you
could save another 12% by changing out your windows for those with low emissivity to reduce heating and reduce UV damage to floors and furniture.
ENERGY STAR’s last suggestion is getting ready for the oncoming electric revolution. As states such as California turn toward electric cars and stoves and away from fossil fuels, it’s prudent to invest in your home’s wiring and electrical panel to make sure it can handle any changes you make on those fronts.
In California, making some of these changes could make you eligible for Golden State Rebates.
For example, if you install an ENERGY STAR-certified smart thermostat, you could earn a rebate up to $75, and if you switch to a heat pump water heater, you could earn a rebate of $500.
For a list of qualified products, go to goldenstaterebates.clearesult.com, or search through your energy provider. Earn green by going green and making your home more energy-efficient.
BECAUSE CALIFORNIA S NEW Net Metering Program takes effect on April 14, homeowners producing solar energy may see a dramatic decrease in the value of the credits they receive for exporting energy to the electric grid.
The new program, Net Energy Metering 2, changes the credit value for solar energy sent back to electric grids to incentivize storing excess energy with home batteries, according to Tyler Boden, founder of Boden Energy Solutions and a solar energy consultant.
Net Energy Metering 1, created in 1996, gave homeowners full retail value credits per kilowatt hour of solar energy produced and sent back to the utility grid. Under Net Energy Metering 2, which was created in 2016, customers receive full retail credit minus fees for solar energy sent back to the grid.
“Net Metering 3 is changing the dynamic, so that the export credit value is far less than retail value in most cases,” Boden says.
Using an “avoided cost calculator,” each utility company will set the credit value of exported energy, fluctuating throughout the year.
With San Diego Gas & Electric, for example, solar energy compensation can drop as low as $0.001 per kilowatt hour sent to the utility grid in April or as high as $2.795 in September.
“The credit value is much less than retail; on average, it’s about a 75% reduction in the value of exported energy statewide,” Boden says.
“The bottom line is the utilities want to incentivize people not to send them energy, and so this new net metering, or what’s considered net billing structure, will do that by giving people a much lower credit value for exporting energy to the grid,” Boden adds.
Instead, Boden explains, homeowners will be incentivized to store their solar energy with a home battery in order to offset their energy consumption during the peak time of use billing, generally between 4 p.m. and 9 p.m.
“In general, that will help to save people more money than if they were sending energy back to the grid,” Boden says. “So, that’s really where batteries will be valuable, and that’s exactly what the (California Public Utilities Commission) and the utilities are trying to incentivize people to do, is to add storage along with solar so that they’re sending less energy back to the grid.”
Energy companies want to incentivize homeowners to send less energy to the grid, because the companies incur costs while selling excess energy and supplying energy after sundown.
“During the day, when so much solar is being generated and sent onto the grid, they sometimes have to sell that to neighboring states at a discount, and I think even sometimes negative value,” Boden says. “In the evening, when the sun comes down, they have to generate all the energy to supply the demand during the ramp up when the sun is coming down and people are using more energy.”
Homeowners who submitted a complete application by 11:59 p.m. on April 14 were considered grandfathered into NEM 2 for 20 years from the date that they received permission to operate their solar systems. Those grandfathered in will continue to receive full retail credit minus fees for energy sent to the grid.
The program will not impact municipal utilities, only large electric investor-owned utilities such as Pacific Gas and Electric, Southern California Edison and San Diego Gas & Electric.
Since the return on investment for energy credits will be much lower for those who are not grandfathered into the previous net metering, Boden says that some homeowners may decide to add solar storage, such as a home battery or add a solar system that does not fully offset their electric usage.
When homeowners are evaluating whether or not adding solar energy storage or a home battery is right for them, Tyler Boden—founder of Boden Energy Solutions and a solar energy consultant— explains that there are many factors that help curb the cost of installation.
“When someone is adding a battery, whether it’s along with a solar installation or without, because of the Inflation Reduction Act passed into law last year, they would get a 30% tax credit on the cost of that battery, before incentives,” Boden says.
There are also state rebates from the self-generation incentive program giving homeowners $250 per kilowatt hour of energy capacity for batteries that they add.
“So, in general, that’s somewhere in the ballpark of $2,500 for somebody who adds a single battery,” Boden says. “So, that’s another incentive that will help.”
From a savings standpoint, Boden explains that it’s easy for homeowners to determine their return on investment based on the capacity of the battery, energy use and cost of energy during that time.
Boden adds that the return on investment will vary by utility company and rate schedules, so it would take a deeper analysis of energy use to come up with an exact return on investment on the cost of the battery.
However, homeowners can get a general idea of their return on investment by using the following calculation:
“So, based on the energy capacity of the battery for a single cycle, you can factor that against the cost of energy during that time and, generally, the battery would discharge between 4 p.m. and 9 p.m.,” Boden says.
“Multiply the depth of discharge of the battery by the cost per kilowatt hour from the utility per day, assuming that the battery would cycle once per day charging from solar and then exporting,” he adds.
CALIFORNIA GOT DUNKED ON this winter. That’s, of course, thanks to the dozens of atmospheric rivers that brought a deluge of rains up and down the Golden State.
While this year’s winter storms wreaked havoc for Californians, creating hazardous road conditions with flooded streets and damaging property from landslides, there is a silver lining for the state, which had been battling harsh drought conditions.
Putting the downpour into numbers, more than 78 trillion gallons of water fell on the state between Oct. 1 and the week of March 20, according to a USA Today analysis using data from the National Weather Service.
Assuming all things being equal across California, that amounts to about 30 inches of water covering the state. For further perspective, the national news outlet noted that the 78 trillion gallons of water is enough to fill the Rose Bowl more than 900,000 times.
So, what does all this water mean for California as we pivot to the spring and summer?
For starters, it’s great for the health of California’s ecosystem, as evidenced by the lush greenery and vegetation, explains Angela Jean Rigden, assistant professor of Earth System Science at UC Irvine.
“We see lots of plant growth. Just generally, it’s likely to delay the onset of the fire season,” she says.
She warned, though, that while the fire season may be delayed, all the vegetation and plant material that’s growing is what’s likely to fuel fires in the future.
It’s “kind of counterintuitive,” Rigden says. “We see all this wet vegetation, but when that dries out, we’ll see all this fuel for fires; so, it could lead to more severe fires in the future once it all dries out.”
As for drought conditions, California has seen a stark improvement following the storms.
According to the U.S. Drought Monitor, as of March 28, 44.7% of California was under abnormally dry conditions—down from the 83.3% just a month prior. Moderate drought conditions found in 49.1% of California as of Feb. 28 dropped to just 28.1% a month later.
“Orange County is out of it. … In Southern California, the
coastal regions are out of the drought,” Rigden notes, citing the Drought Monitor. She adds that “it’s great the rains have definitely alleviated the drought conditions and most of Southern California isn’t in a drought anymore.”
Asked for her prediction on how long this non-drought period would last, Rigden forecasts that California could face another period of drought next year.
“While it’s really wet now, that doesn’t mean it’s going to stay wet for a long time,” she says. “I think it’s important to understand that when thinking about drought, too, we think about what’s on the surface, near surface, soil moisture … but the definition of drought is drier than normal conditions.”
“So, if we consider ground water conditions, we still— ground water systems are still in ‘drought,’ ” she continues. “It’s because it takes a lot of time for the ground water system to replenish.”
The spate of rainstorms has also alleviated water shortage conditions, prompting the governing board of the Metropolitan Water District of Southern California—the area’s water wholesaler—to lift emergency restrictions on water use for nearly seven million Californians.
Last June, the Metropolitan Water District, which sources water from the Colorado River, via the Colorado River Aqueduct, and the Sacramento and San Joaquin Rivers in Northern California, imposed emergency drought restrictions on select communities in Los Angeles, San Bernardino and Ventura counties, setting limits on outdoor watering use to one or two days a week and imposing water budgets on residents.
While the rainstorms allowed the Metropolitan Water District to roll back those restrictions last month, the agency stressed that “storage reserves have been drawn down and significant challenges remain to the region’s other sources of imported water—the Colorado River.”
Dave Rebensdorf, the utilities director for the City of San Clemente, echoed that sentiment.
“That’s the biggest challenge. … The Colorado River is at historic low levels, so we need to see a major rebound on those areas before the Metropolitan Water District is comfortable,” Rebensdorf says, adding: “We’re in a good position for the year or two, but we still have to keep watch of what’s happening at the Colorado River basin.”
In accordance with regional and statewide efforts to curb outdoor water use, the San Clemente City Council last June approved water conservation measures, voting to declare a Water Shortage Level 2 Water Alert.
Under the alert, San Clemente’s water customers saw rate surcharges on both their fixed and variable water rates, and they were instructed to shorten irrigation periods, limiting the times they could water their yards.
Rebensdorf said late last month that the city’s utilities department had been working with the Municipal Water District of Orange County and Metropolitan Water District about rolling back the local restrictions.
“But we want to see what the plan is for San Clemente, and likely we’ll make a recommendation (to the City Council) to go back to either a standard or a Level 1; and (Level) 1 does not have demand management rates.”
Asked what San Clemente residents and everyone else in South Orange County should know about the area’s water resources following the string of heavy rainstorms, Rebensdorf forecasted that the new drought is potentially a few years away.
“So, whatever our customers can conserve today, we can use tomorrow,” he says. “I want to thank our customers for reducing their water use, not only in this drought but previous droughts.”
